Mike Slott's newest album Lucky 9teen, released off the tight knit LuckyMe label collective, is indicative of the ongoing evolution of the off-kilter hip hop sound originally pioneered by J Dilla and later made electronic by Flying Lotus. Slott's sudden, unexpected deviation from the hip hop-centric origins of the sound is part of what makes his newest work so fascinating. Though originally a devotee of the Dilla and DJ Premier school of purist hip hop production, Slott has been gradually incorporating more eclecticism into his mixes. Compared to his earlier hip hop production work as half of Heralds of Change with Hudson Mohawke, the new album Lucky 9teen has evolved past the head-knock rhythmics and structured, gratifying beats characteristic of the Brainfeeder/LuckyMe sound. Scene architects like Flying Lotus and Mary Anne Hobbs have called the album "lush," beautiful," and "deeply innovative." While the album is certainly a step beyond the constraining labels of hip hop production, it still contains more than enough hooks and rhythms to keep the listener engaged. It would be disingenuous to claim that Slott has totally evolved past the trappings of hip hop production; what he's really done is incorporated an unprecedented amount of feeling and pathos into his digital compositions. In that sense, Lucky 9teen isn't a new take on hip hop; rather, it's the creation of Digital Soul.

Though this track was left off the album, it's still indicative of the show you can expect from Mike Slott at the RBMA 2010 celebration this friday!